DON’T LOOK AWAY: PROTECT THE PEOPLE OF DARFUR

UNA-UK is a member of the Globe for Darfur, an international coalition of NGOs formed in response to the weak international approach to the crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan. The conflict has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced another 2.5 million.

The Globe for Darfur coalition held its first global Day for Darfur in September 2006, when over 60 events were staged around the world to draw attention to the crisis. A second day took place in December 2006 which focused specifically on the use of rape and sexual violence in Darfur as weapons of war.

Fourth Day for Darfur

profile speakers addressed the rally, among them Lord Malloch-Brown, Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, Andrew Mitchell MP, Shadow International Development Secretary, and several Darfuri survivors. Lord Malloch-Brown applauded the crowd’s efforts, saying: “So while it seems difficult to come out every year on these demonstrations, it’s really important that you do it. And I say that not just as a British Foreign Office minister, but I say it as someone who was previously Kofi Annan’s deputy at the United Nations. All our efforts on Darfur needed public support. We needed to be able to say that people were turning out in London, in Washington, in Paris, in Johannesburg, all over the world, to protest what was happening in Darfur.”

FCO Minister Lord Malloch-Brown addresses the rally © UNA-UK

Click here to view the full text of Lord Malloch-Brown's comments and the remarks of the other speakers.

The Day for Darfur attracted significant celebrity support, with high-profile actors and musicians throwing their names behind the initiative. ‘Living Darfur’, a single by music group Mattafix, was released to coincide with the day. Its video was filmed in IDP camps on the Chad-Darfur border. Grace Emeritus Archbishop Desmond Tutu, one of the leading international figures supporting the project, said of the song's release:

“This is not just another charity single. Darfur is not just another African tragedy. This is not just about raising money for an extremely worthwhile cause. This is about the suffering of real people and raising awareness of the atrocities taking place everyday. Darfur is the world's largest concentration of human suffering; it's also entirely avoidable if people speak out. This song is a vehicle to enable people around the world to join the voices of those that are suffering and demand an immediate ceasefire. Please visit www.globefordarfur.org and add your voice. Don't look away.”

Click here to find out how you can listen to the song and watch the video.

Other initiatives aimed at drawing attention to the day’s message were two letters, one signed by high-profile women including Mary Robinson and Cate Blanchett, and the other from Senator Romeo Dallaire, former commander of the UN peacekeeping mission in Rwanda, with advice for the new force commander in Darfur.

Click here to read the letter from the group of high-profile women, and here for the letter from Senator Romeo Dallaire.

Click here to visit the Globe for Darfur website.

Also of interest

>>> Letters to the UK government from UNA-UK Chair, Lord Hannay of Chiswick:

1. THE SITUATION IN DARFUR ( 13 March 2007 ) REPLY ( 29 March 2007 )

2. PEACEKEEPING IN DARFUR ( 11 September 2006 ) REPLY ( 28 September 2006 )

3. THE SITUATION IN DARFUR ( 28 April 2006 ) REPLY ( 23 May 2006 )

>>> UNA-UK webpage on 'The UN and Darfur: R2P in Practice?'

>>> UN Fact Sheet on 'The United Nations and Darfur'

>>> Relevant UN Security Council resolutions:

SCR 1755 (2007) extending the mandate of UNMIS until October 2007

SCR 1769 (2007) establishing UNAMID

SCR 1706 (2006) giving UNMIS a mandate in Darfur and increasing its troop strength

SCR 1593 (2005) referring situation to the International Criminal Court

SCR 1591 (2005) imposing strengthened sanctions over Darfur

SCR 1590 (2005) establishing UNMIS

SCR 1556 (2004) imposing sanctions over Darfur